For several years now, I have been holding the tension between the spiritual journey to union with God alongside a growing interest in engaging in political and environmental activism. The deeper I went in my spiritual development, the more I was drawn to contribute to a more compassionate, equitable life for all beings. And yet I frequently found myself in confusion. How could I feel devoted to serving Love, while also feeling so hateful toward those who perpetuate the systemic injustice that I was beginning to wake up to in every corner of society? How could I focus on the outer forms of government, when my spiritual path advocated for focusing on my own character flaws and transforming my personal negativity?
Great spiritual truths frequently first appear as a paradox – two seemingly mutually exclusive ideas that, when reconciled, are not separate at all. The apparent opposites of spirituality and activism reflected a paradox, and paradox is not reconciled in the head. I couldn’t think my way out of the conundrum. I had to hold the question gently and trust I would live into the answer.
So I continued my spiritual work, and I continued my involvement in various forms of activism. I found that I needed to become more disciplined in my spiritual practice in order to stay resilient and to summon the energy and courage to speak about the systemic injustice that benefitted a few at the expense of many. I also found that activism gave me many opportunities to see how my childhood wounding was being projected onto authority, and where I needed healing in order to be a more effective change agent. What initially appeared as opposites ended up complementing and enhancing each other beautifully.
When I was introduced to Sacred Activism, a term coined by Andrew Harvey, I was so excited to find both spirituality and activism woven together as a way to usher in the birth of a new consciousness on the planet. Harvey incorporated prayer, meditation, contemplative reading of sacred texts, body work, shadow work, emotional support and compassionate, non-violent action in a way that felt like an answer to a prayer. I had already received the gifts of these practices through my time in the Pathwork community, so it was a natural fit.
I believe the challenges that we face in the US and the world today have a spiritual significance. I believe the old way is dying because it no longer works, and something new is trying to be born. This makes sense when we look at nature in general – it goes through cycles of birth, death, and rebirth all the time. We are part of nature, so why would things be any different for us?
We can choose to participate in the evolutionary process consciously or feel powerless, but those cultivating self-awareness are already at the forefront of this unfolding. What matters is our willingness to evolve. As the famous Albert Einstein quote reminds us…
“No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.”
Whether we tackle our problems from the spiritual perspective or from an activist perspective, we won’t find a solution to our many problems when we approach it from a dualistic mindset. We can, however, do the spiritual work to transcend duality. This will allow us to offer our gifts in service of the creation of a new way of being that aligns with spiritual law.
Making the choice to be in service to the birth of a new consciousness requires much — but the rewards are great. In Lecture 212 the Guide says,
“…to the degree you offer generously and trustingly the best you have to give to life, allowing God’s will to be done, to that degree will you feel entitled to open your arms wide to receive the best life has to offer. To the degree you hold back in puny fear that this might damage your self-interest, to that same degree must you hold back from receiving life’s riches.”
This is a choice I want to make each day. That is why I’m excited to announce that Cibele Salviatto and I will be offering a monthly series on Sacred Activism in 2026. It will be a space to gather with anyone called to make a difference in the world grounded in love and non-violence.
We will incorporate spiritual practices, body work, the wisdom of the Pathwork Lectures and other sacred texts, while sharing and learning from one another. Here are some of the benefits of attending this series:
- Awareness of how each of us colludes with systemic injustice
- Emotional resilience to stay grounded and engaged without burning out
- Tools to act from love rather than reactivity or despair
- A supportive community to share joys and sorrows, and successes and failures
Do you feel called to explore Sacred Activism with us, and to take your Pathwork journey to the next level?
